PetsIf your pet has eaten something on this list, or anything you are unsure about, phone a vet at once. Do not wait for signs to appear, and do not try home remedies. Tell the vet what was eaten, how much and when.
| Pet | Never feed |
|---|---|
| 🐕 Dog | Chocolate, coffee and tea; Grapes and raisins; Onions and garlic, raw or cooked; Anything sweetened with xylitol, such as some sugar-free gum and sweets; Alcohol; Cooked bones, which splinter; Macadamia nuts; Very salty, spicy or oily food from the table |
| 🐈 Cat | Onions and garlic; Chocolate, coffee and tea; Grapes and raisins; Alcohol; Raw bread dough; Dog food as a regular diet; Cooked bones; Lilies in the house: the plant is dangerous to cats |
| 🐇 Rabbit | Chocolate, sweets, biscuits and bread; Potato, onion and garlic; Large amounts of fruit or carrot; Sudden changes of diet; Muesli-style mixes, which let the rabbit pick out only the sweet bits |
| 🐹 Guinea pig | Chocolate, sweets and bakery food; Potato, onion and garlic; Dairy foods and meat; Rabbit or hamster food as a substitute for guinea pig pellets; Large amounts of fruit |
| 🐹 Hamster | Chocolate and sweets; Onion and garlic; Citrus fruit; Sticky foods that can lodge in the cheek pouches; Salty or spicy snacks |
| 🦜 Budgerigar | Avocado; Chocolate, coffee and tea; Alcohol; Salty, fried or sugary food; Apple pips and fruit stones; Onion and garlic |
| 🦜 Cockatiel | Avocado; Chocolate, coffee and tea; Alcohol; Salty, fried or sugary food; Apple pips and fruit stones; Onion and garlic |
| 🐟 Goldfish | Bread, biscuits and other human food; More food than is eaten in two minutes; Untreated tap water straight into the tank; Soap or detergent on anything that touches the tank; Sharp ornaments that tear fins |
| 🐠 Betta fish | Overfeeding: a betta's stomach is very small; Flake food made for goldfish as the only diet; Sharp plastic plants that tear fins; Untreated tap water; Tank mates that nip fins |
| 🐠 Tropical fish tank | Adding many fish at once; Mixing fin-nipping or large fish with small, gentle ones; Overfeeding; Washing the filter under the tap; Releasing fish or plants into ponds, lakes or drains |
Rules that apply to every pet
- No chocolate, coffee, tea or alcohol for any animal.
- No onion or garlic, raw or cooked, including in gravies and leftovers.
- No salty, spicy, fried or sweet food from the table. Namkeen, sweets and biscuits are not treats for animals.
- Feed food made for that kind of animal. Cat food for cats, rabbit pellets for rabbits. They are not interchangeable.
- Change any food slowly, over about a week, mixing a little more of the new food in each day.
- Fresh water, always.
Festival and party days
Most accidents happen when the house is full and food is left on low tables. Keep sweets, chocolate, dry fruit boxes with raisins, and plates of leftovers out of reach, and ask guests not to feed the pet.
This table lists common household foods and is not complete. When in doubt, do not feed it. Written in November 2026.